


Duckling

by Cosmic_Biscuit



Category: Tiger and Bunny
Genre: Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-20
Updated: 2011-11-20
Packaged: 2017-10-26 07:31:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/280409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cosmic_Biscuit/pseuds/Cosmic_Biscuit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amidst the usual pile of fan-mail, Nathan gets a rather unusual card.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Duckling

It wasn't that he _disliked_ children. Really. It was just that he got fanmail from them so _rarely_ that he hardly ever knew how to answer it. And so Nathan had had implemented the policy that any letters obviously from fans under the age of fifteen were designated to his staff. He'd kept that policy for the last six years running.

Which was why it came as a mild surprise when he started to sit down at his desk and found an envelope lying innocently on the keyboard of his computer.

An envelope with the address scribbled awkwardly in red crayon.

Frowning slightly, he picked it up and leaned out the door. "Bianca, darling, I thought we had an arrangement-"

His dark-haired secretary peered over her reading glasses at him as she turned in her chair, then grinned when she saw what was in his hand. "Trust me, boss. You'll want to read that one."

His confusion deepened further, but he let her get back to her work as he walked to his own chair and took a seat. 'Want _to, huh?_ ' he thought as he slid the contents out of the envelope.

 _'Happy Mother's Day!'_

His breath caught in his throat at the carefully-drawn crayon lettering across the top of the card. A mama duck and her ducklings marched across the bottom of it, each one brightly patterned in the colors of his costume. Swallowing thickly, he opened it.

 _Hi, Fire Emblem!_

 _My name is Leila, and I'm ~~sevven~~ 7._

 _We're making cards for our moms in class but I don't have one._

 _But I still want to make a card_

 _and Miss Rhyne always says moms are heroes sometimes_

 _and ~~your~~ you're my favorite hero._

 _So I made you a card if you want it because you're the best._

 _Hope you have a great Mother's Day!_

The writing blurred a little as he read it, and he pulled out a handkerchief to dab away the wetness that had sprung up in his eyes. Then he very gently set the card in a prominent place of honor on the shelf above his computer. Taking out some paper and his favorite pink ink pen, he settled deeper into his chair.

 _Dearest Leila,_

 _Thank you so much for your thoughtful card-_

 

Their letters and phone calls had almost become a clockwork habit over the next several years, so Nathan was rather concerned when nearly a month went by with no word at all from his little pen pal. Especially considering how their last round of communications had been mostly him trying to talk her through the stress of emerging powers.

Then, one afternoon, he came back from an emergency call to see the familiar pink envelope with purple lettering on it. Hoping it wasn't bad news, he carefully slit open the envelope and slid the letter out, only to blink at it when he found only one sentence written.

 _I have a surprise for you._

 _Well, well, well._ There was a rather wide variety of things _that_ could mean. Still very curious, he nonetheless decided not to dwell too deeply on it, and filed the letter away in the particular drawer where he'd kept all the others, then sank back in his chair with a tired sigh.

It was probably for the best that he was retiring at the end of this season, he thought, rubbing an aching head. He honestly didn't know where Kotetsu had gotten the stamina to keep up the chase as long as he had before finally leaving the business for good.

That reminded him that he'd agreed to be present for the graduation of the Hero Academy students being added to the roster next season. He glanced at the clock, then stretched and got to his feet to go meet the others. There were some things one didn't wait to be fashionably late for, after all.

+++

Sky High and the others had already been called to the stage one by one, and he was waiting his turn to go on when there was a rather urgent whisper of "Fire Emblem!" from behind him. Turning around, he blinked at a dark haired, dark skinned girl in a pretty plant-designed costume, waving at him from where the graduating students were gathered. Though he was a bit confused, he waved back. Then she took off her mask, revealing grey eyes sparkling with mischief, and it all made sense.

"Leila!"

With a huge grin, she slipped off the bleachers and bounced over. "Surprised?"

" _Very_. But how did-"

"My new parents agreed to send the last few letters for me, so they wouldn't be coming from the Academy."

"Sneaky. I'm quite impressed. But I thought you wanted go to school for botany and have a flower shop."

"Well, I still can," she said. "I mean, you've got your company, right?" She had a point. Then she scuffed the toe of a boot on the floor. "But you helped so much, you know? I wouldn't have even made it to the Academy without your coaching, and even before the powers, you looked after me a lot more than most people would've. And, um, I couldn't think of any better way to pay you back."

A little touched, he reached out and gently brushed a hand over her hair, then enfolded the Hero-to-be in a tight hug. "Oh, honey. You never had to pay me back. I'm just glad you're okay."

"I know, but I _wanted_ to," Leila murmured, wrapping arms around his neck. "I was going to wait until next year to enroll, but after you announced you were retiring, I had to get in before you left. Figured I had to take my once in a lifetime to see you in person."

He wanted to say more, but heard his name called and looked up to see the stage director frantically motioning towards the curtain. Leila pulled back and waved again before running to rejoin her fellow graduates, and he shook his head with a faint chuckle before heading out to the stage.

 

The ceremony went off without a hitch, ending with the new heroes filing past for handshakes from their mentors and future teammates. The newly-christened Solanum's smile was as brilliant as ever as she shook his hand, and he felt her press something into his palm before moving on to Blue Rose. Glancing down at the paper, he felt his throat tighten, and suddenly found himself blinking back proud tears.

 _Thanks, Mom._


End file.
